Books by Marvin X

Love and War: Poems  / In the Crazy House Called America / Woman: Man's Best Friend /  Beyond Religion Toward Spirituality

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Plato in the Classroom

By Dr. M

Plato was at his classroom today, at 14th and Broadway, downtown Oakland. It was Friday, July 11, 2008. Minister Keith Muhammad of Muhammad's Mosque came by on his way to a meeting to address the issue of thirty brothers arrested for drug dealing in the ACORN Projects of West Oakland. As the Minister talked with Plato, he explained his view that the brothers were victims of white supremacy. Plato listened as he does with all who come by his way. The minister admitted he had rehearsed his speech on Plato. Plato sold him a book and the minister departed. Then came the eye witness to the assassination of journalist Chauncey Bailey who asked Plato for two dollars which Plato gave to him. The eye witness said the publisher of the Oakland Post, Paul Cobb, said too much. Plato said what do you expect of the publisher of a newspaper?

Plato's angel appeared as he often does to assist Plato in his daily round of teaching the people. The angel will often purchase a book for those without money who are sincere. But the angel wasn't around the last few days while Plato gave out at least three thousand dollars in books to the poor at 14th and Broadway.

But the angel was there when writer Ishmael Reed came by with his daughter, author Timothy Reed. Plato introduced Ishmael and his daughter to the angel. Ishmael said he has just released a book on the media and told the angel he retired from teaching after 35 years at UC Berkeley. Plato informed Ishmael that he sees his daughter often as she is part of the street people who pass by his class room.

A sister came by in a state of rage because she felt insulted by a white woman. The sister wanted to kill the white woman but Plato urged her not to kill the woman who owed her $25.00. Plato gave the enraged woman who was skilled in martial arts twenty dollars and told her to chill out, please don't go kill the white woman.

A young writer came by who is about to have twins. He has a book out but is unemployed thus under great stress since he knows not how is to get milk and pampers for his babies.

Plato told him to focus on the matter of obtaining milk and pampers.

A young sister came by who could hardly walk. She said the doctor told her to get a wheelchair but she was unable to do so, so she was walking in a strain from some type of infection. There was little Plato could do for her.

A brother came by complaining because a church had young girls on the street selling candy. Plato had observed the girls for several days, so he knew the situation. He told the brother to take the matter up with the church people who came to pick the girls up each day. A sister stopped by who was formerly a Muslim but was now a Christian. She wanted Plato to read the Bible on putting on the armor of God. Plato told her to read it to him, so she did. And so it is.

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Plato on Politics

Politics is a dirty, filthy game of self interest. There are no permanent friends, only permanent interests, and sometimes interests may become like the shifting desert sands, but certainly friends can and will be disposed depending on the moment. We saw how Mr. Obama dismissed his friend of twenty years, Rev. Wright. We saw him tie his nuts to the Israeli lobby. And there is more to come with each passing moment, yet what is the Left agenda for him, what do we want since he is destined toward the white house—or will it become the black house?

Of course, if the Left were politically correct, it would vote for sister Cynthia McKinney of the Green party. But politics is also pragmatic and practical, so voting for the sister would be neither. It would be correct but idealistic and a waste of energy. As Sun Ra taught, sometimes you can be so right you wrong. Would not a vote for McKinney possibly enable Bush III (McCain) to slip into the white house by a slim margin?

Is this satisfactory to the Left? As Baraka noted, it is shameful to see so-called intellectuals and politicos running after the people they are supposed to be guiding and directing. No matter what, the so-called Negro is inspired by the Obama Drama, so perhaps we should get on board the freedom train and see where it's going; maybe we can add some insight and direction to its path.

We know Obama is being sucked into the white hole of imperialism—but so is every Negro with a job with the white man contributing to imperialism, so who is pure, name one and the whole town may be saved.

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Plato on the Sick Soul

A sick society produces sick souls. It is ludicrous to expect more. So what we have today are stunted men and women, unable to stand tall and take full responsibility for their actions. Some try mightily to do so, but can't find the strength to overcome their character flaws induced by the sick society. How can we expect men in a criminal culture to behave other than criminal? We want them to go out to kill, then return home to be loving fathers and husbands. What kind of monster do we have here; perhaps the kind Mary Wells sang about in her classic song about two lovers who were actually one. Yes, the sick society produces the schizophrenic personality or the persons with the dark side we are shocked to discover in the neighbor until we read about him/her in the morning news.

A society wherein half the households are without men is a sick society. It is a society in an obvious state of war with itself. Surely there are elements in the power strata making events happen that are detrimental to a certain strata, especially the lower economic class which is in chaos, and short of revolution, we cannot expect nothing but more chaos because the economic machine is determined to keep the status quo to maintain power.

The day strong men of consciousness rise to take responsibility for themselves and their families is the day of revolutionary action. On that day they will be loving and caring, for themselves, first of all, then for their women and children. Their actions will be healing and cleansing, eliminating the dirt and grime from their souls. They will allow no excuses to prevent them from forward motion. Their women will likewise be about the business of cleansing and healing themselves from ignorance and reactionary behavior that has made them incapable of being wives and mothers.

The sick society must be overthrown by any means necessary. It has no right to exist solely to produce sick souls lost in consumerism or conspicuous consumption that devours the souls of potential men and women. The sick soul must of necessity heal itself of fear, fearing to love itself, fearing to do what is necessary to protect and raise the children, preventing them from becoming monsters who exist on the animal plane or even worse because animals show love for each other. The sick society monsters have not a microdot of love for anything but self destructive behavior which in the end benefits no one. Thus we have jails, prisons and mental hospitals full of sick souls who are a danger to themselves and others. Many wander the streets as predators, hungry and determined to attack anyone.

Poor, innocent citizens are overwhelmed at the actions of the sick souls, even though they share in the creation of the monsters in their midst, for the innocent are only a matter of degree away from sharing the sickness that spreads like a virus from generation to generation, from community to community, yes, from class to class, for the sickness is pandemic because the economic situation is controlled by global forces who do not discriminate. Ray Charles told us the danger zone is everywhere.

From class to class, the sick souls go about their daily round in denial they need healing, although some do so in fear of losing their material comforts, thus they tolerate self abuse and partner abuse to enjoy the so-called good life—many women wear the golden handcuffs, refusing to release themselves from the monster within and without. It is then that the sick souls medicate themselves with legal and illegal drugs to cover the pain of   wretchedness.

Society cannot arrest all the sick souls because they are being produced in such abundance there is no room to house them. Can we not see that soon the entire society will be one giant jail, prison and mental ward?

And so only the sick souls can heal themselves, for the doctors are sicker than the souls they seek to heal. They have not heard, “Physician heal thyself.” The police cannot apprehend the criminals because they are themselves murderers, drug dealers, and robbers under the color of law.

The very earth itself is rising up to overthrow the sick actions of man. The green revolution will ultimately remove the sick from the earth; yes, they will be drowned in floods, buried in earthquakes, and consumed by fire.

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Plato Gives Dollars to Oakland Poor

Plato arrived at his 14th and Broadway open air classroom and was soon inundated with people in need of one dollar or two at most. He didn't hesitate to reach into his pocket and hand them a dollar. Plato, who is poor himself, wondered why people think he has money to give out, since he is hustling himself, although he probably gives away more books than he sells, and his motto is, "Don't hustle the hustler." But when the people continued to come in need of a dollar, he didn't refuse them. Some wanted a dollar to buy a hamburger from Burger King; some wanted money for bus fare.

Plato thought about what his elder, John Douimbia, told him about people during the depression of the 1930s. He said people would tell him they needed money, so he told them to meet him on a certain corner. When they met, John said fear would overcome them so rather than go hustle with John, they would ask for thirty cents to buy a bowl of chili beans and go their way, afraid to hustle in a big way. John noted that not every one was poor and without during the depression; the hustlers drove new cars and wore new suits because they were fearless.

Paul Cobb, publisher of the Oakland Post, came by while Plato was talking with attorney Walter Riley, father of rapper Boots Riley of Boots and the Coup. When Paul was informed the San Francisco Bayview Newspaper was going out of print, Paul said he had a plan if the publishers would contact him. Riley called the editors but they were adamant about doing the paper online. Riley came back by from his law office and Plato told him he had been giving out dollars. Riley handed him a twenty to give out.

Author Timothy Reed stopped by with her man friend, Alex. Timothy, who suffers manic depression, is the daughter of Ishmael Reed. Plato is empathetic since his son committed suicide as a result of manic depression. Fanon and Dr. Nathan Hare say manic depression is a situational disorder caused by oppression. Timothy is a fighter who is working on her second book.

A man came to Plato’s table saying he had just broken up with his wife of eighteen years. He said she has been stealing from him all these years but he finally caught her hands in his pocket. She is a Crack head and he was too for a time, but he has had enough. He stood around the table because he didn’t want to go home, but couldn’t figure out what else to do. He mentioned getting with another woman but felt she would be the same just have a different name. He said he needed a drink, then maybe he could go home to face “the music.” Plato gave him a DVD of his recovery drama One Day In the Life, and told him to show it to his wife.

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Dr. M is author of How to Recover from the Addiction to White Supremacy, with a foreword by Dr. Nathan Hare and afterword by Ptah Allah El, Black Bird Press, POB 1317, Paradise CA 95965, $19.95. The next session of Dr. M’s Pan African Mental Health Peer Group is Saturday, December 15, 4pm at the Black Repertory Group Theatre, 3201 Adeline Street, Berkeley, CA. No one turned away for lack of money but a $25.00 donation is requested (includes copy of book HOW TO RECOVER FROM THE ADDICTION TO WHITE SUPREMACY, A PAN AFRICAN 12 STEP MODEL FOR A MENTAL HEALTH PEER GROUP). For more information call 510-355-6339. www.marvinxwrites.blogspot.com, mrvnx@yahoo.com.

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posted 12 July 2008